BandT magazine, Australia's magazine for the marketing, advertising, media and PR industry, compiled the '50 Things You Need to Know about Being Green' list as part of its 'Green Issue' (October 16, 2009).

See below for extracts from the article or subscribe to BandT for the full story.

02: 50% CAN’T NAME A BRAND WITH GREEN CREDIBILITY

There is a large void for many Australians when it comes to identifying brands and organisaitons who they perceive to have strong credentials for operating in an environmentally friendly, sustainable or ethical manner, says Nick Bez, Research Director at consultancy Mobium.

“From more than 22,000 people Mobium have surveyed over three years, consistently more than 50% of adult Australians cannot name a single organization that they believe satisfy this criteria.” he says.

“There is massive mind space available for brands who cannot demonstrate credible leadership and ongoing commitment in this space.”

08: DO YOU KNOW WHAT LAOHAS STANDS FOR?

There are few dedicated, independent consumer insights reports into the attitudes of Australian consumers when it comes to the environment and sustainability.

Mobium’s Living LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) is currently regarded as the gold standard in many circles. It is annual and represents a marketing framework which describes a group of individuals who seek to integrate healthier, more sustainable product and service options into their lives.

09: GFC DIDN’T HURT THE GREEN MARKET

Many commentators globally believed that the onset of the global economic crisis would spell the collapse of the green market.

Mobium tracking studies in February 2009 showed a re-weighting of concern about financial issues, but that individuals values and concerns for the community and environment were not impacted. This outcome has been supported by numerous studies from around the world including by management consultancy BCG.

39: THE LOHAS MARKET WILL BE WORTH $21Bn NEXT YEAR

In 2008 Mobium quantified the Australian LOHAS consumer market at $15billion, up from $12bn in 2007. The forward growth estimates put the market at $21b by 2,010.

40: TO ATTRACT STAFF BRANDS MUST HAVE VALUES

Nearly 75% of all Australian workers sat that that ‘the values and practices (labour, health and safety, environment, community initiatives) of a company’ influence where they choose to work, which is up slightly on 2008, according to LOHAS.

This is particularly true in two of the four segments the report draws on - the Leader and Leaning segment (to a lesser degree) in particular, see these issues as crucial in achieving employment satisfaction. As these individuals have strong values around community and planetary issues they are looking to work with organsiations who share their values.

The reports authors add “This issue is increasingly becoming a differentiator for organisations and is most important to those aged 30 - 45 who are moving into senior management roles. Moving forward strong sustainability credentials will be a key driver of recruitment and retention for many candidates.”

43: CONSUMERS ARE LESS WILLING TO PAY PREMIUMS

Australians are making environmentally preferable choices in more categories driven by more mainstream availability and increasing options becoming available.

And the researchers behind the LOHAS reports say that in many categories price premiums compared with conventional counterparts have dropped - as innovation drives new options at more accessible price points.

“In the current fiscal environment the importance of the price factor is evidenced by a 40% decline in 2009 compared with 2008 in the number of Australians who say that they are “willing to pay 25% more for products and services which are made in an environmentally friendly manner”. The willingness to pay premiums has eroded consistently from 2007.”